Kryptonite
by Traveling Buddha
Summary: What has finally gotten to Gibbs? What can't he stand to loose? And What exactly does this have to do with P2P and Ziva? My take on the finale and exploration of the Ziva/Gibbs F/D relationship. Revised Ch.1. Pls RnR...Have Fun
1. Chapter 1

Quick Note. 1. NO do not own. 2. Yes there are spoilers for Swan Song and the Season Finale. 3. This is my exploration into the deep relationship of Ziva and Gibbs.

Kryptonite

I've been lying in this hospital bed for some hours now. I'm not entirely sure what has happened, since I've been in and out of it due to the anesthesia. What I do know has come from the bits I can remember. The last thing I can remember before waking up here is the team rushing into the room and the sounds of gunshots.

I guess to help explain it all I should start at the beginning. We had been tracking the port 2 port killer well as best we could while trying to avoid Barrett's team. All of us had a vested interest, but I noticed that Gibbs seemed a little more vested. Everything about this suspect was setting him off.

What has led me here tonight all started with us coming as backup after we heard the shots, during Agent Barrett's attempt to apprehend P2P. By the time we reached the address McGhee had pulled we found Agent Cade walking out with a bullet in his shoulder, Agent Levin dead, and Agent Barrett missing. After a quick canvas of the area we took our evidence back to headquarters. It took us some time, but we eventually found some leads on several locations. Gibbs sent McGhee, Tony and I to each location. I have to admit I was apprehensive. We already lost Mike to this lunatic, I did not think I could handle loosing anyone else.

My alert went on high when I heard noises coming from the room I was looking for. As I came closer I could hear the distinct sound of a chair being dragged across the floor. With my gun at the ready I tested the door and found it unlocked, I made my way in silently. Nothing seemed unusual about the room as I pushed the door open. By the time I passed the door I was able to see into the living catching the fear in agent Barrett's eyes. I made a move to help her, but a blinding pain went across the back of my head knocking me out.

I regained consciousness what I had to presume a few minutes later, and found myself bound to a chair with a gag in my mouth. He had placed me in a dark room with curtains covering the windows. I had just enough light through the cracks to see the other occupant. I tried calling out to Barrett, but by her lack of response I knew she was no longer alive. The next thing I knew the door was opening and the man came in carrying a computer and Mike's gun.  
>All I remember after that is going in and out of consciousness in the hospital. I watched the passing lights above my head as they wheeled me down the hallway. Gibbs and Tony's voices were trailing after me, shouting words of encouragement.<p>

By the time I gained some sort of hold on the world around me, I knew I had surgery by the pain in my stomach. My first visitors were McGhee, Abby, and Ducky. Abby hugged me so hard, I had to force my blood pressure to rise just to let her know to let go. They started to talk about what happened when I got captured. Apparently after the man entered the room he had directed a feed to NCIS showing me bound to the chair. There was some torture, which shocked everyone, but especially Gibbs.

I've become a little more alert since they visited. Now Tony is by my bed, and if he does not shut up I just may kill him. He's been here for the last few hours, and since he has not shut up. He began with telling me how everything went down, and that we caught him. Then he moved on to a movie he had seen, which reminded him of the situation. While he's been talking I've been replaying my moments of consciousness, and I can't help but wonder where Gibbs is.

Shaking off the last of the anesthesia I force my eyes to open hoping that will gain his attention. By his voice still running through my brain I'm guessing it has not worked. Gaining my energy I rasp out, "Tony shut up!" His mouth shuts instantly.  
>"Ziva you're awake. Oh I'm so happy. We've all been worried about you. How are you feeling, are you okay?" He asks standing straight above her.<br>"Okay, where's Gibbs?" she asks squeezing his hand tighter.  
>"Um after you went into surgery he uh, shut down. Abby and Ducky tried to get him to talk, but after your second hour in surgery he left." Tony says avoiding her gaze.<br>"I need to see him," Ziva says carefully pushing herself off the bed.  
>"Ziva no, you just had major surgery you need to rest," he says attempting to push her back to the bed.<br>"No Tony. I have to talk to Gibbs." She struggles against his hold, but in her weakened state not much fight is left. Deciding a different approach is needed she makes sure their eyes lock. "Tony if you do not help me get up and get to Gibbs then I will be forced to harm you in a very unpleasant way."

Tony winces at the tone in her voice, scared of the not so empty threat that is lingering. "Fine Ziva I'll see what I can do. But one deal Ducky's coming with us." Ziva shakes her head yes in agreement. Releasing his hold he watches as she begins to disconnect some of the leads attached. Her disconnection of the heart monitor causes it to sound off a loud whine and the code blue call to sound throughout the hospital. Within seconds, nurses and Ziva's doctor enter the room prepared to resuscitate, but find her already halfway out of bed.  
>"Ms. David you need to lay back down. This is not good for your injuries," her doctor says as he attempts to push her back.<br>"Doctor I need to leave. I do not have time for this," Ziva says pulling the needles from her arms.  
>"Please Ms. David."<br>"Doctor Reynolds is there a way she can be released temporarily. Just for a couple of hours, then well come back. We'll even take a doctor with us," Tony says trying to hold Ziva back.  
>"Ms. David I cannot under good conscious let you go. You still need monitoring," Doctor Reynolds says as he continues to struggle against his unbelievably strong patient.<br>"Doctor I need to leave now. Either you let me go of my own free will or you will not like the end result," she says pushing the doctor away.

"Nurse James and Anderson I've got everything under control here you can go back to your duties." He waits for the nurses to leave before turning his attention back to Ziva. "Alright I'll let you go for a few hours, but you have to come back here immediately if you start to have any problems."  
>"Yes doctor," she says looking past the doctor to Tony with a look of desperation on her face.<br>"And one other thing you have to wear scrubs, you're wound is too fresh," he says grabbing a set from the room's closet. After placing them next to her doctor Reynolds leaves, leaving Tony to help Ziva.

Pulling up to the house Tony and Ducky move to help Ziva out of the car. "Now my dear be very careful. Just stand up slowly, any quick moving could tear your stitching," Ducky says carefully wrapping his arm around her waist.  
>"Thank you Ducky," she says carefully bringing herself to full height. All three carefully make their way to the familiar front door. "When we enter, please let me go down by myself," Ziva says to both men.<br>"But Ziva," Tony begins to protest but the determined glare in her eyes quickly quiets him.

Entering the home Ziva directs both men to sit down on the couch as she slowly makes her way toward the basement door. Leaning against the now open door she looks down into the pit called Gibbs' basement, and watches as he pulls out pieces of wood for a project. She makes her way down the stairs, grimacing with each step as it pulls at her stitches. "You could have at least given me a head slap for my stupid actions," she says drawing his attention away from his project.  
>"Ziva what are you doing here? How did you get here?" he asks leading her to the stool.<br>"Tony drove it's amazing what you can do with the threat of bodily harm. I had to make sure you were okay. Tony told me what happened at the hospital. I wanted to make sure you were okay. You were not even like this with Jenny." Ziva says watching as his eyes begin to drift from her gaze.  
>"I'm fine Ziva, and we should really get you back to the hospital. This isn't good for you," he says growing more distracted by a random spot on the wall.<br>"I am fine Gibbs, but I know you and you are not fine." Seeing his gaze once again drift from hers, she grabs his face between her hands forcing him to look at her. "It's not your fault. I'm not Kate and I'm not Jenny, I didn't do this to protect you. I was not shot because of you. It was him; he did it, not you. Do you hear me Gibbs? It's not your fault," she yells at him determined to make him see.  
>"You don't get it," he says breaking away from her hold.<br>"Yes I do. You can't let anyone in for fear they will die. You feel like a curse to all around you. And finally you feel that if you see one more person you care about laying on that autopsy table you won't be able to live anymore. I know it all." Ziva watches as Gibbs pauses in his movement. "You don't think I feel that, I've had just as many loved ones if not more either die in my arms or by my hand. I even confessed to Tony that I did not think I could do this anymore. Seeing Mike laying on that table all I could think about was you. I don't care if what you say is true. It could have been you Gibbs, and I know I could not stand to lose another father." Tears begin their trails down her cheeks confessing the true pain of the days' and nights' events.  
>"Ziver, you will never lose me," he says moving to wrap his arms around her. "I don't know what happened tonight. When we found you, you were tied to a chair nearly unconscious with a bullet through you. I couldn't take it I tried everything to get you to come around, but nothing was working. By the time we got you to the hospital the doctors were not that optimistic. After they wheeled you into surgery I just shut down. I couldn't imagine loosing another person I cared about. By the time I got home I realized you weren't just another person I cared about. Watching everything go down, it was like Shannon and Kelly all over again. I couldn't lose another daughter," he says feeling her arms tighten around him.<br>"Why is love kryptonite?" Ziva questions quietly to herself, making Gibbs laugh.  
>"Tell Tony no more Superman movies," he whispers back. <p>


	2. Chapter 2

Okay, it was suppose to be one, but I found that this story needs a little more exploration. So here is Gibbs thoughts on everything. Enjoy.

I arrived home in a daze. After all that had gone on during the day I was on auto pilot. All I kept seeing was that glazed over look in her eyes. That same look one can see when someone is on the brink of life. That so very small cusp, in which you know if you do not work quickly, there may be no hope. I knew it with Ziva too. I knew I didn't do anything and everything in my power there was going to be more than just her gaze I couldn't keep out of my head.

At the hospital, Ducky kept attempting to reassure me that none of it was my fault. But didn't he see it all was. I was the one to bring Mike on the case. I didn't let him smoke in the house, and I was so into the damned paperwork I didn't hear the first shots. He was calling me, and I did nothing. Then I let those agents go on turkey shoot, while I sat there trying to understand this thing. I let two agents die who didn't have to, and didn't he see with Ziva. I made them separate. I knew what this man was capable of, and I let them go off alone.

I am the reason Ziva is lying in a hospital bed recovering from a gunshot wound.

I had faith in my team that they could get the job done. We had it all planned out. After we gathered the information, I gave each one an address and told them to head out. I was following along in MTAC listening to each word. Within minutes I heard all clears from both Dinozzo and McGhee, but nothing from Ziva. "Ziva what's your status? David damn it answer me," I yelled at her, but all I got was silence. I began to worry; my gut was telling me something was not right. My worst fears came true, when I heard his voice come over Ziva's mike.  
>"Hello Agent Gibbs." His voice was cold, and though I didn't show it, it ran a chill down my spine. I knew then this was not going to end well.<p>

Pulling the rest of my team I gave McGhee and Dinozzo the address letting them know I would meet them there, and with warning not to enter before I got there. I started to move out of MTAC, but the ringing of my phone stopped me. Looking down I noticed it was Abby. "What is it Abs?"  
>"Gibbs I've got an incoming video. You have to see this, I'm sending it up now." she said, her voice not comforting me at all. I turned around and what greeted me was not what I wanted to see. There up on the screen for all to see was Ziva tied to a chair and p2p standing over her with Mike's gun being held against her head.<br>"You've got thirty minutes," he said cocking the gun.  
>"You harm her, and you'll be facing something far worse," I remember yelling, but after that I know I went on auto pilot.<p>

I raced out of MTAC and to my car. Before I knew it I was at the address and giving instructions to Dinozzo and McGhee. It all happened in a blur. We rushed to the room; I kicked in the door just as we heard a gunshot ring out. We ran inside bullets at the ready. All it took was the sight of the gun and we started shooting. Once the smoke had cleared I saw Lieutenant Cobb dead on the floor, and could my team scanning the interior rooms. "Boss," McGhee yelled from one of the rooms. I entered the room and saw what they were all staring at; Ziva slumped over in the chair. Tony was applying pressure to her wound, to stunned to do anything else. I knelt down next to her, first attempting to shake her to get some response. With nothing I started slapping her, lightly, and yelling her name. I heard her let out a soft moan just as I heard the siren of the ambulance coming up the street.

After leaving the hospital and arriving home I sat in my basement for an hour. The only light I had was the glow from the street lights outside. I kept staring at the bottle of bourbon I keep on the workbench. So badly did I want to take a drink, but I knew Shannon would never approve. So I sat there and thought. That's all I could do. I thought how I couldn't save Shannon and Kelly, Kate or even Jenny, and now I had to face the fact that I might lose Ziva.

Deciding to follow Shannon's rule I disregard the bottle, and head straight for my woodpile. I pull a few sheets and proceed to start my next project. Before I can pull my tools, I heard her voice from the stairwell. Her comment about the head slap makes me laugh a little, but my worry for overtakes as I see her carefully make her way to me. She's right I should head slap her, but not for her stupid actions then but now. I mean who leaves a hospital only a few hours after they have major surgery. Seeing her wince I move her over to the seat I had recently vacated, and help her sit down. All the while I'm telling her I'm fine, but I know she can see right through me. She's figured it out; she's confronting me, telling me it's not my fault. But she doesn't understand, she never will. I hear what she's saying, and what she is saying is true. She has had just as much turmoil in her life. I turn to look at her, and her eyes are saying it all. Ziva needs someone. The little girl in her needs a father and I need her.

Wrapping her in my arms I have this overwhelming urge to cry. Ziva is so much like me it's scary. I whisper into her ears all that happened. How I was so afraid to lose her, to lose another daughter, that I couldn't face that reality. She tightens her arms around me, and I know now that she knows Daddy's here.

Ziva makes me laugh with a comment about how love is like Kryptonite. Though I tell her no more superman movies, I can't help but think that I have to introduce her to The Justice League of America. 


End file.
